Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oberhausen and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,996 in Oberhausen, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Oberhausen
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Oberhausen Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Oberhausen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,996

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Oberhausen and in Sofia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Oberhausen and in Sofia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,996 per month in Oberhausen vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

Oberhausen $1,996
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $2,847 per month in Oberhausen vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

Oberhausen $2,847
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $3,698 per month in Oberhausen vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

Oberhausen $3,698
Sofia $3,361

Oberhausen costs about 25% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Oberhausen and Sofia sit above the global median – Oberhausen by 48%, Sofia by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.84 €15.01

$16.87 BGN 29.52

-0.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 €75.8

$65.8 BGN 115

29.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.21 €11.78

$11.32 BGN 19.80

16.70%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.62

$3.43 BGN 6.01

18.37%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 €2.83

$2.41 BGN 4.22

31.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 €2.77

$1.85 BGN 3.23

68.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.68 €5.06

$3.70 BGN 6.48

53.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 €5.04

$4.58 BGN 8.02

23.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$2.02 BGN 3.53

-37.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.56 BGN 2.74

37.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.22 €2.87

$2.33 BGN 4.07

38.20%

Eggs

$3.62 €3.23

$4.36 BGN 7.63

-16.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.48 €12.02

$11.76 BGN 20.59

14.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.84 €10.56

$8.83 BGN 15.46

34.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.05 €20.55

$17.46 BGN 30.56

32.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 €2.59

$2.15 BGN 3.76

34.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.98 BGN 3.46

4.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.93 BGN 3.39

16.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.93 €3.50

$4.24 BGN 7.42

-7.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.04 BGN 1.81

31.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 €1.11

$0.85 BGN 1.49

47.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.15 BGN 2.02

31.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.89 BGN 1.57

22.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.75 €8.70

$4.21 BGN 7.37

131.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.71 €5.09

$7.46 BGN 13.05

-23.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.15 BGN 2.02

-5.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.85 BGN 3.25

-7.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.41 €3.04

$0.87 BGN 1.52

291.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.20 €43.86

$28.53 BGN 49.93

72.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 €4.43

$1.68 BGN 2.95

195.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.91 €2.60

$0.94 BGN 1.64

209.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.73 €30.08

$15.35 BGN 26.86

119.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.69 BGN 2.96

33.14%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$33.4K €29.7K

$29.8K BGN 52.1K

11.95%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$38.3K €34.1K

$26.1K BGN 45.7K

46.48%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$383 €342

$156 BGN 273

145.48%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$12.23 €10.91

$21.56 BGN 37.74

-43.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.34 €32.40

$15.24 BGN 26.66

138.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.20 €34.95

$46.08 BGN 80.6

-14.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.56 €26.36

$27.92 BGN 48.86

5.87%

Cinema Ticket

$15.33 €13.67

$10.18 BGN 17.82

50.59%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$473 €422

$774 BGN 1,355

-38.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,247 €8,245

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-27.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$89.9 BGN 157

0.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.60 €37.09

$41.29 BGN 72.3

0.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.9

$105 BGN 184

-5.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 €125

$107 BGN 187

31.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$601 €536

$783 BGN 1,370

-23.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 €557

$597 BGN 1,044

4.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$748 €667

$1,516 BGN 2,653

-50.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$754 €672

$1,030 BGN 1,803

-26.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,307 €4,732

$4,350 BGN 7,612

22.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,410 €3,041

$3,177 BGN 5,560

7.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,398 €3,030

$1,735 BGN 3,037

95.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

2.89

36.68%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Oberhausen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Oberhausen

$625 31.3%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 4.4% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oberhausen

$432 21.6%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 55.3% $239

Groceries & Markets

Oberhausen

$332 16.6%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 12.5% $41

Eating Out

Oberhausen

$288 14.4%

Sofia

$255 16% 11.5% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Oberhausen

$167 8.4%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 7.8% $13

Getting Around

Oberhausen

$82 4.1%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 53.4% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Oberhausen

$70 3.5%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 4.9% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $601 in Oberhausen versus $783 in Sofia. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 96% higher in Oberhausen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Oberhausen versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $290 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Oberhausen

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

11:11 11:11 AM

12:11 12:11 PM

1 h ahead of Oberhausen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

209,292

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Oberhausen Sofia 1,580 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Oberhausen
Sofia

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Oberhausen vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oberhausen costs about 25% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,994 per month in Oberhausen and $2,391 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sofia, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,996 in Oberhausen and $1,594 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 25%.

Public transport costs about 72% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in Oberhausen at $1,996. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Oberhausen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sofia costs $1,594 versus $1,996 in Oberhausen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Sofia. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Oberhausen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.